BEIJING — Yao Ming took his place on the Rockets’ bench moments before the tip, lowering his head and closing his eyes, completely alone with his thoughts despite being the center of attention in a nation of 1.3 billion.

As Yao went through his private ritual and a throng of photographers rushed to surround him, every eye in the arena seemed to be focused on the Rockets’ center.

The roar of the crowd began as he took the microphone and continued as he took his first shot — a dunk off a Chuck Hayes pass inside.

Yao was back in Beijing and on the Wukesong Arena stage for the first time since the celebration that was the 2008 Olympics. He never seemed more at home.

Buoyed by a noisy crowd and driven to make Yao’s homecoming a success, the Rockets started with a burst and led by as many as 15 points en route to a 91-81 victory that was far more joyous than an ordinary preseason win usually is.

“It was a really great game, and actually each and every member of our team has been impassioned and affected by the warmth of the audience on site,” Yao said through an interpreter.

“It’s always exciting to come back to China and play a game (in front of) all the fans in my home country, particularly in this arena. It is still very fresh when we played the Olympics here. We got great support from the fans. Today, to come back and even though I play for a different team, they support us as much as before.”

Yao hit a few shots — the dunk in the second minute, a jump hook on the baseline, an 18-footer and a running hook in the fourth quarter — and finished with nine points and four rebounds in almost 19 minutes.

Fans not disappointed

But more than anything, he gave the crowd of 16,996 at Wukesong Arena and millions watching the live broadcast what they wanted as he inspired his team to a level they needed.

“We wanted to honor Yao, and the best way to honor Yao was to play hard, play the right way and give everybody here tonight and watching on TV a good show,” said Shane Battier, who had four points and four rebounds. “I think we did that. We know Yao is a very proud individual. He’s proud of being from China. That wasn’t lost on our team. We wanted to have a great showing for him.”

Once the emotions were spent and some fatigue seemed to catch up to teams playing after so much travel, the Rockets in particular hit a third-quarter lull. But the festive atmosphere seemed to drive them.

“It didn’t feel like a preseason game,” said Aaron Brooks, who scored 17 points. “It felt like a regular-season game with the crowd really into it. To get a win in front of Yao’s people, he’s happy and we can go home happy. We’re happy for him.”

The arena was sold out, with fans in the standing-room-only area circling the lower level. Every performance, from the mascots doing familiar bits to rookies trying to make the teams, was celebrated.

Excitement for everyone

When Yao had the ball on the offensive end, the crowd cheered in anticipation and reacted accordingly every time the Nets’ Brook Lopez (22 points) went at him.

“I think the atmosphere was terrific,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “The crowd was great. I think you saw the way our guys started the game; they were excited to play. They wanted to come out and show effort and I think for Yao Ming’s sake, to play a good game for him coming back here. Our guys were real excited about this game, and I think it showed.”

Jared Jeffries, serving as the Rockets’ backup center for all but the four minutes Jordan Hill played in the first half, had 12 points. Chase Budinger scored seven of his 12 points in the fourth quarter to help hold off the Nets’ late run. Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 18.

The triumph, however, was not on the stat sheet or even the scoreboard. For the first time since 2004, Yao played an NBA game in Beijing and appeared to love it. In that respect, he was not alone.

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“It was fun playing in front of a different set of fans,” Rockets forward Chuck Hayes said. “The electricity from the crowd, I think we fed off of it. We started playing with energy. It was just a fun game.”